Severe Bali Belly forces ex-F1 ace out of Aussie cameo

An ex-F1 driver set to line up on the undercard to Supercars' season-ending Adelaide 500 this weekend has been forced to pull out due to a severe case of Bali Belly.

Roberto Merhi made a stop at the popular holiday destination on his way to Australia, where he was scheduled to compete for Team BRM in the brutal S5000 open-wheeler category.

But the Spaniard told the team on Tuesday evening he would be unable to continue the journey to Adelaide, and was actually calling from a Bali hospital bed.

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Merhi has made several appearances in the category over the past several seasons, most recently at the S5000 season-opener at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

He made 13 starts for the Manor Marussia team in 2015, finishing a career-best 12th in the British Grand Prix.

Two-time S5000 race winner, Kiwi Kaleb Ngatoa will race in Merhi's place.

Team owner Albert Callegher said it was a "shame" the Spaniard would miss the event.

"Roberto has been pretty unlucky … it's such a shame that he is unable to be here," he told the S5000 website on Wednesday morning.

Ngatoa only got the call from the team on Tuesday evening, and was able to jump on a flight from Auckland on Wednesday morning.

"However, it's great that Kaleb – who has won in the category before – was available and able to hot-foot it to Adelaide by tonight."

"He of course ran with Team BRM throughout most of the 2022 season, so it shouldn't take him long to get comfortable – though this will be his first visit to Adelaide.

"We all wish Roberto well for a speedy recovery and hope we can see him here during 2024."

Ngatoa was himself supposed to take part in the third round of New Zealand's Formula Open series, in which he dominated the Formula Atlantic/Pacific class last time out at Manfield, north of Wellington.

The S5000 class will take part in three races over the weekend, in which Garry Rogers Motorsport ace Aaron Cameron will look to wrap up the title, and clinch the Australian Drivers' Championship.